Lyft Driver Held at Gunpoint, Shot at in Richmond

A Lyft driver was held at gunpoint while picking up a rideshare passenger Thursday night.

The driver who wished to remain anonymous picked up a fare on 13th Street in north Richmond. According the Lyft driver, the passenger immediately pulled a gun on him.

"As soon as he stepped into the car he pulled the gun on me and he hijacked me," the driver said.

The passenger diverted him from his original Sausalito destination and told him to head south. The passenger told the driver to pull off to Richmond Parkway to a store so he could get cigarettes.

That’s when the driver began thinking how he could get away, but the driver hesitated. The Lyft driver realized that he needed to toss the bag out of fear that if he drove off with it, the man could track him down.

"I wanted to throw his bag out but at the same time he came out," the Lyft driver said. "He started firing on me."

The suspect unloaded half-a-dozen shots, one that went right through the windshield and hit the dashboard.

The driver then pressed the emergency call signal on the Lyft app, and drove away. He managed to call police and stayed with the dispatcher to make him aware of his location.

He drove to the Berkeley police station where officers met him and assured him he was safe, but the driver says his ride sharing days may be over.

In a statement, Lyft said the company is cooperating with investigators. 

"We are disturbed by this report. There is no place for this behavior on our platform. Safety is fundamental to Lyft and we have a strict no weapons policy for both riders and drivers. We have reached out to the driver to extend our support,"

Contact Us